After years of strife and war, Libya once again appears to be seeking a political breakthrough.

According to the local newspaper Libya Observer, several high-ranking Libyan politicians met in Cairo last weekend for talks on a unity government and elections.

The meeting, which was organized by the Arab League, was attended by the President of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed Yunus al-Menfi, who also serves as the country's president. Other participants were the Chairman of the High Council of State, Mohammed Takala, and Aguila Saleh, the influential speaker of the House of Representatives in Benghazi, which is considered as counterpart to the internationally recognized government in Tripoli.

On Sunday, al-Menfi optimistically spoke of a "very important beginning."

The group called on the international community and the UN Support Mission in Libya for support. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry praised the shared intention to hold presidential and parliamentary elections.

Observers, however, point out that these steps are only declarations of intent so far.

"I am skeptical about the chances of real success," Salam Said, the head of the Libya office of the German Friedrich Ebert Foundation in neighboring........

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